14 JANUARY 1944, Page 13

THE REAL . AUSTRIA

Sta,—In your number of January 7th, 1944, Phyllis Bottome in her opening sentence says, " The chief point about an Austrian is that he is not, never has been, and never will be, a German." She cleverly avoids the retort obvious to all her arguments in favour of Austria by the use of the term " brother complex " to excuse Hitler's Austrian birth and German Reich ideas and crimes. We are asked to believe that no one of Austrian birth save Hitler himself wished for the Anschluss with Germany. But I was in Austria in the Tyrol at the time of the Anschluss, and found to my astonishment that the most gentle people of the mountains, many guides, hoteliers and famous skiers welcomed the news with the greatest joy. They believed that a new era had dawned, that Germany would make them rich and happy. They listened to the blaring wireless and Hitler's voice in a state of semi-ecstasy. quarrelled with a dear Austrian woman friend because I could not agree that Hitler was either great or handsome. When they spoke of Hitler in the tone of voice reserved in an English church for the name of Christ, I asked, " But suppose Hitler died? " and received the astonishing reply, "But Hitler cannot die." The odd part was that group of intelligent and friendly people at that moment believed it. They may be disillusioned, they may have long been disillusioned ; but there is great danger in our own sentimental attitude to the Austria of music, of mountains and of skiers as being the only Austria, and in our happy holiday memories of long years' standing blotting out the Austria which allowed Dollfuss to murder with machine-guns his own working-class people, and the Austria which has twice, without revolution

against Germany, sent its sons to fight our own husbands, brothers